The Forged Masterpiece

Chapter 2 An Alliance in the Shadows

I set the untouched champagne flute on the bar and crossed the floor toward Julian.

"Julian, darling." Chloe flinched at the sound of my voice. Julian turned with his host's smile ready. "Something about the *Midnight Rose* is wrong. I want a final light-refraction analysis in the restoration room."

His smile held, barely. *Now? She wants to make a scene now? Meddling woman.*

"Surely it can wait until after the bidding, Elena. Our guests are eager."

"My seal of approval stays off that canvas until I'm certain. You know my instincts." My authority over authentication gave him no room to object. "I'll need help moving it. Your men are too clumsy."

My gaze flickered pointedly to the corner. "Victor. He can help me."

A sharp laugh passed through Julian's thoughts. *The cripple? Perfect. If he drops it, the blame shifts entirely. Let her have her drama.*

"An excellent choice. Victor! My wife requires your assistance."

Victor watched me as he rolled forward. *What is she playing at?*

We took the painting down and carried it along the empty corridor, accompanied by the whir of his chair. In my private restoration lab, I entered the code and waited for the soundproof door to lock behind us.

Clinical lights washed the room white. I left the analysis equipment untouched and faced him.

"The painting is a forgery. The work is brilliant. The canvas is still fake, and you know it."

Victor's hands went still on the armrests. *She knows. How? Is this a trap? Did Julian send her to test my loyalty?*

His right hand dropped toward the emergency buzzer under the workbench. It connected directly to the family's security chief. One press would be enough to make me disappear.

"Press it." My pulse beat hard under the necklace. "When they come, ask Julian why transfer order 7A-19 was filed under the old vault code. Your father retired that code after the crash that put you in this chair."

His fingers froze.

He looked at me properly then, weighing a problem Julian had failed to mention.

*She knows about the old ledgers. She knows about the elders who backed Julian. This woman is either a fool or she knows exactly what she's doing.*

"What do you want?" His voice was rough from disuse.

"I want Julian stripped of everything he stole and everything the family handed him. His position. His money. His name."

I leaned down, my hands gripping the back of his wheelchair, our faces inches apart.

"And you," I whispered, "you need the real black ledger. The one hidden with the real *Midnight Rose*. The one that proves who signed the kill order on your car three years ago."

His fingers curled around the armrest. I had guessed correctly.

He moved his hand away from the button. "Tomorrow night, at the auction. Julian plans to have you arrested the moment the gavel falls."

"I know." I straightened. "He still thinks the trap belongs to him."

I walked to the door and keyed in the code to unlock it. Before I stepped out, I looked back at him.

"He sees a cripple and a fool when he looks at us," I said. "Let him."

I returned to the gallery alone. Julian was talking to an oil sheikh while Chloe held his arm. The moment he saw me, his attention left the conversation.

*Is the trap set?*

I raised my untouched champagne. Julian smiled back.